Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 447

From France to Oracle Park: New SF Giants pitcher realizes MLB dream

SAN FRANCISCO – Less than two weeks before his 30th birthday, Spencer Bivens got the word he’d waited a long time for late Saturday night when he was told he was going to the big leagues and joining the San Francisco Giants.

Bivens, signed as a free agent by the Giants in 2022, was officially selected from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday morning, as the Giants also placed Kyle Harrison on the 15-day injured list (right ankle sprain) and released right-hander Nick Avila.

Bivens entered Sunday’s game in the top of the second inning. He struck out both Zach Neto and Cole Tucker on 94 mph sinkers, and got Jo Adell to ground out. But Bivens also gave up a 410-foot home run to center field to Nolan Schanuel, as the Angels took a 2-0 lead.

But Bivens remained strong and retired six straight batters in the third and fourth innings before he was replaced by Sean Hjelle before the start of the fifth inning. His performance kept his team in the game, and the Giants scored nine runs in the fourth to take a 9-2 lead. They won 13-6..

“It doesn’t really feel real,” Bivens said. “Just waiting to wake up from a dream. But it’s unbelievable. I really don’t have words for it. It’s nothing like I imagined it. It’s better that it’s that way.”

The 6-foot-5 Bivens finished with five strikeouts in his MLB debut, which came five years after he began his professional career in France. He was told the news about his promotion on Saturday night as the River Cats were playing in Reno.

“I was caught off guard, to say the least,” said Bivens, who is 4-0 this season with a 2.81 ERA in 41.2 innings. “It was in the middle of our game, during a time when I thought I’d be warming up. It was an awesome surprise.”

The undrafted Bivens, a Virginia Beach native, grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. According to a November 2022 profile in The Athletic, he dreamed of pitching for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and he made the team in his first year at the school. But a failed marijuana test got him kicked off the team. Bivens said he stopped smoking weed before he enrolled in school, but there were still remnants of the drug in his system.

After two more years, Bivens went to school at Rogers State in Oklahoma. He returned to North America in 2020 and bounced around various teams and leagues, but he has stayed in Sacramento since the start of the Triple-A season. In May, he was named Pacific Coast League pitcher of the month.

“There are great stories and you always feel good about someone making their major league debut, but if you know the travails and everything that he’s been through, this is a real special one,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said.

“Whether it was the coaching staff when he came in this morning to the players there, there’s some pretty cool days, Father’s Day, the whole bit. That he gets to finally make it to the big leagues, it really gives you goosebumps.”

Bivens said he expected his parents to be at Oracle Park on Sunday for his anticipated MLB debut. He himself said he got into San Francisco around 3:30 a.m.

“So I haven’t had much sleep,” Bivens said, “but I don’t see that being a problem today.”

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Bivens said after he arrived in the Giants’ clubhouse, people said to “make sure to breathe, just have fun. Pat Burrell has been really cool. He told me to go take a look at the bullpen, think about myself and take a moment.

“Just can’t make it up. You know, it’s just surreal,” Bivens said, adding that he’s been “picturing this for a long time. A long time and it’s not even close. Like not what I thought it’d be. It’s crazy. I don’t know. I’m at a loss for words.”

SF Giants place another starting pitcher on injured list

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants placed Kyle Harrison on the 15-day injured list Sunday after the left-handed starter, according to manager Bob Melvin, sprained his right ankle the day before as he worked out in the team’s weight room.

Harrison was scheduled to start Sunday, but left-hander Erik Miller got the nod for San Francisco’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels instead. He pitched one inning in a 13-6 win for the Giants, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set before they started a six-game road trip on Monday against the Chicago Cubs.

Melvid said Harrison rolled his ankle Saturday as he was going through his normal routine in preparation for what would have been his 15th start of the season. The injury was severe enough, Melvin said, that a stint on the IL was unavoidable.

Sunday’s transaction was retroactive to Thursday. Also Sunday, the Giants selected Spencer Bivens from Triple-A Sacramento, and fellow right-hander Nick Avila was released.

“I’m not sure what the timing will be,” Melvin said in terms of when Harrison might be able to return, “but obviously not ideal.”

The Giants are already without starters Blake Snell (left groin strain), Alex Cobb (left hip surgery), and Robbie Ray (Tommy John surgery). Snell, who threw a bullpen session and a simulated inning on Saturday, could return later this month, while Cobb and Ray are not expected back until the second half of the season.

Harrison was coming off one of his stronger starts of 2024, as he threw just 77 pitches in 6 1/3 innings on Monday against the Houston Astros, allowing just four hits and one earned run in a 4-3 Giants win.

In 14 starts this season, Harrison, in his second big league season, has thrown a combined 77 1/3 innings, second on the Giants pitching staff behind Logan Webb (92 1/3 innings). The San Jose native and De La Salle High School graduate has a 4-3 record this year with a 3.96 ERA.

“It’s a blow,” Melvin said. “You’re obviously always (talking) about how you can never have too much starting pitching, and you’re seeing why. We do have some guys coming back, although it’s probably going to take a little while.

“Kyle’s been really consistent for us. In the meantime, we’re trying to figure out another way around it. You’ll probably see a little bit more bullpen, especially today.”

Harrison’s last win as a starter came on May 18. In his last four starts, Harrison was 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA, although in that time, he has just three walks to go with 19 strikeouts.

“He’s disappointed, for sure,” Melvin said of Harrison. “Sometimes these things just happen. It could happen anywhere. But working and getting ready for a start, to happen like that is very disappointing.”

WADE UPDATE: Melvin said LaMonte Wade Jr. (left hamstring strain) is joining the Giants on their road trip but will likely not be able to play in the “Tribute to the Negro Leagues” game against the Cardinals on Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wade was injured in a May 27 game against the Phillies on a slide into second base. An MRI later revealed a Grade 2 strain, and Wade was placed on the 10-day IL the next day.

Wade was slated to run the bases for the first time Monday in Chicago, and Melvin said he will probably start a rehab assignment after Thursday’s game.

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“I just don’t know how we fit it in at this point,” Melvin said of a rehab assignment. “Having tweaked the hamstring and now pulled it, it’s another one we want to be pretty careful about. So we’ll see how we get there, I’m not ruling anything out, but it’s probably going to be pretty tough for him to play in that game.”

With Wade out of the lineup, the Giants, including Sunday’s 13-6 win, are 7-10 since his injury.

“We’ve picked up the slack a little bit for him,” Melvin said Sunday morning. “We were playing pretty good baseball until the last couple of days, and I expect this to continue that. But it will be nice to get him back. Obviously, he’s one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball.”

175 fall athletes to watch over 50 days

Hudson Rutherford, Carmel: Asserting himself behind center, the quarterback threw for just under 2,500 yards last year for the Mission Division champions.

A three-sport athlete, Rutherford found his rhythm as the season progressed, throwing 27 touchdowns to five different receivers. He also rushed for over 100 yards.

Rocky Villanueva, King City: Brought up last fall as a freshman, the 6-foot-2 Villanueva became a leader by example, leading the Mustangs in sacks (6) and tackles (70).

Having added muscle to a 225-pound chiseled frame, the defensive end will also serve as a tight end, having finished second on the team last year in receptions.

Grace Von Schack, Stevenson: A four-year starting setter for the defending Mission Division volleyball champions, Von Schack has collected over 1,000 assists in her first three years.

Having an understanding of the Pirates offense, Von Schack orchestrates the attack with vision and instincts, moving the ball around the net.

Local books: Physics professor turns his talents to flash fiction

Dr. Bill Colson, a physics professor emeritus at the Naval Postgraduate School, has published significant research to considerable renown in his field. Yet, following his retirement in 2015, he turned his attention to writing fiction.

Colson is one of those rare people who are transported through life by the alchemy of a keenly intelligent, analytical mind and a tender heart. That is how he conceived a story about an android, a couple of centuries in the future, who is scheduled to terminate but wants to do so on her own terms, with the feeling of human touch.

Colson could tell us how it turns out, but he’d rather we read the set-up, and develop a sense of it from the setting, the circumstances, and the era, to gain perspective on the protagonist, enabling us to feel empathy at the end. Like most things, he’s thought it through.

Growing up in Royal Oak, Michigan, Colson knew, by the end of high school, he would go into either physics or math. Recognizing that, while math adds up, not everything you calculate in physics is going to work, so he decided to take the more difficult route and study physics theory at Wayne State University.

Local author Bill Colson. (Courtesy photo)

His passion for the field was further ignited by a professor who stood on his desk and shouted his academic passion, a la Robin Williams in the film,  “Dead Poets Society” (1989). It also may be what triggered his flair for the dramatic.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Colson worked in a technical research lab in Michigan, where his talents were recognized, earning him a ride to Stanford to earn his Ph.D. While seeking a project that would enable him to focus his thesis on something with practical applications, Colson learned about a project in the department regarding a superconductor accelerator, whose research findings were incomprehensible. His advisor asked him to take it on.

“The paper was actually correct but poorly written,” Colson said. “I explained it more simply, more clearly, and it pretty much set my career in motion. It is still used around the world. People came to me, offering research projects, and I never had to ask for funding.”

While at Stanford, Colson fell in love with a fellow student, who had given up tennis to double major in physics and English literature before continuing with the pursuit of her Ph.D in physics, with a focus on the absorption of X-rays by interstellar gas. Her name was Sally Ride.

“I moved to Houston with Sally and was there with her when she became an astronaut. We broke up in 1979 and, four years later, she was in space.”

Moving on

Colson, who had been working as a researcher and assistant professor at Rice University in Houston, went on to work at UC Santa Barbara for five years, before moving on to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, supported by consulting firm Berkeley Research Associates, which required a lot of international research.

“Yet I was sitting on a beach in Sicily when a professor from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey introduced himself and asked me to apply to NPS. At this point,” said Colson, “I was kind of well known.”  Others have said there is no “kind of.”

Colson spent 25 years at NPS, investing three-quarters of his time on research contracts, and the other quarter, teaching. In 2015, the Carmel resident retired and found himself, above all, bored. Until he discovered The Carmel Foundation, a senior center whose mission is to provide a place and a reason for members to gather.

“The Carmel Foundation is a really great place,” Colson said. “They offer classes of all kinds — painting, sculpting, drawing, photography, writing. I took a painting class and quickly decided writing wouldn’t be as messy.”

Except maybe emotionally.

Colson’s approach to writing, similar to his physics career, is to allow curiosity to arise and then work to satisfy it. Whatever happened to the first cave painter, for example, 40,000 years ago? The new guy, with unprecedented skill, was he accepted into the clan? Colson wrote about him.

“One thing I really like, by the way, is being the new guy,” he said. “There aren’t any expectations. I can bungle things and mess up, and things will get better. With physics, for 40 years, I wasn’t the new guy. This is my chance. As a writer, I’m still new and still learning.”

In March of this year, Colson, who has now completed 80 short stories, selected his 10 favorite and published them in “Spectrum, Flash Fiction Stories,” so named since the stories cover a range of themes and always in one or two scenes. Yet all of them carry a central theme of significance. They mean something to the author, the characters and, hopefully, the readers.

Sometimes, when reading his own stories aloud, he becomes emotional. One of his writing instructors said she was reluctant to take on a physics professor, said she would have dropped him as a student, recalls Colson, had he not cried about his characters, become emotional as he developed their storyline.

“Wasn’t it Robert Frost who said, ‘No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader’? When I hit on something that triggers tears,” said Colson, “I know I’m onto something and should keep going.”

On June 6, Colson, poet Peter Thabit Jones, who published “Spectrum,” through his Seventh Quarry Press, and Julie Tully, manager of River House Books, hosted a literary conversation at the bookstore, where the book is available.

Horoscopes June 16, 2024: Laurie Metcalf, be a leader

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Abby Elliott, 37; Eddie Cibrian, 51; Phil Mickelson, 54; Laurie Metcalf, 69.

Happy Birthday: Being receptive, curious and selective will make a difference this year. Join in the conversation and question what’s real and what’s fiction. Knowledge is a powerful tool that can help you zigzag your way to the top if you maintain clarity and vision and use common sense. Be a leader, not a follower, and you will map out a path that carries you to a brighter future. Your numbers are 4, 17, 25, 28, 33, 40, 49.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Spend more time researching. There is no room for error when someone isn’t honest regarding your friendship, money or health. Use your connections and skills to discover the nuances of getting from one place to another with the least distress. Opportunity is within reach. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take the initiative and put an end to anything that is weighing heavy on your mind. Change requires your input, energy and belief in your ability to see matters through to completion. Press play, and don’t stop until you are satisfied with the results. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t buy into someone else’s dream. Consider how you can make a difference and improve your life. Walk away from joint ventures and show you’re self-sufficient and resourceful. A makeover will boost your confidence. 5 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take the necessary precautions, but don’t lose sight of your target. The balance between avoiding pitfalls and completing what’s required to make your life meaningful and less stressful will contribute to your happiness. Don’t underestimate the powers that be. 2 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You can’t please everyone. Take care of matters that concern you most and don’t apologize for your actions. Being true to yourself will lead to respect from others and your peace of mind. Sorrow will follow if someone lies or misinterprets your intentions or your words. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Consider what you must do to earn your wage or cater to others to get what you want. A change may be in order if you feel someone or something is pressuring you financially or emotionally. It’s your responsibility to end what’s obstructing you. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Attend events and participate in activities that challenge and test your skills, talents and intellect. Travel, engage in social activities and share your intentions with someone you cherish. Self-improvement is favored. Make romance a priority. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take precautions when dealing with joint ventures, investments, and health and contractual issues. Someone will try to outmaneuver you if given the chance. Use innovative tactics to outsmart any challenges you encounter. Anger solves nothing. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Review, fact-check and question information you receive that can affect your home and family. Don’t take unnecessary risks or let anyone goad you into participating in something frivolous or physically daring. Gravitate toward people who bring out the best in you and claim the happiness you deserve. 4 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Concentrate on making fundamental changes that make your routine flow freely. Apply discipline and intuition when dealing with money and how you choose to earn your living. Don’t hesitate to change what is ineffective or insufficient. 2 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Learn from your mistakes and avoid regret. Socialize and participate in activities that promote love, health and emotional well-being. Don’t leave decisions in someone else’s hands. Choose your path and who you want to have on your team. Make personal gain and romance your concerns. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Move whatever gets in your way. Deal with emotional issues directly and offer solutions that lead to freedom and self-worth. A loss is likely if you are too generous, accommodating or lax in handling your cash. Go over fine print. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are confident, colorful and persuasive. You are philosophical and influential.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

Want a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters. 

Back in Oakland: Ex-Warriors show out in BIG3 season opener

OAKLAND — BIG3’s opening weekend couldn’t have been more Oakland. 

The popular 3-on-3 basketball league held Week 1 of its seventh season on Saturday at Oakland Arena, the building the Golden State Warriors called home during three of their four NBA championship seasons over the past decade.

Beloved former Warriors such as Leandro Barbosa and Jason Richardson showed they still have enough skills to put the ball in the hoop with ease. Fan favorites Stephen Jackson, Nick Young, Rick Barry and Gary Payton led their teams as coaches on the sidelines. 

Sitting courtside, MC Hammer and current Warriors guard Moses Moody watched as one-time NBA players put on a show in front of thousands of fans. 

Rapper MC Hammer embraces Ice Cube before Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Ice Cub is the co-founder of the 3-on-3 pro basketball league. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

And even Oakland rapper Too Short made a cameo, making the crowd dance to his classic hit “Blow the Whistle” during the midway point of the six games played on Saturday. 

The energy that once helped power the Warriors on their dynastic run in what was then called Oracle Arena felt as if it never left. 

“Today was special,” Barbosa said. “I had championships here and I missed the fans. … Being here and playing Jason Richardson, who is also a legend in this arena, it was a special feeling.”

Legendary rapper and actor Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz founded the league in 2017. The BIG3 is known for giving NBA veterans and older pro basketball players another avenue to continue playing hoops at the tail end of their careers. 

Games are played to 50 and include four-point circles that are positioned from well beyond the NBA three-point arc.

The day opened with a rematch of last season’s championship game between the Enemies and the Triplets. Former NBA All-Star and reigning BIG3 MVP Joe Johnson put on a clinic, hitting every big shot for the Triplets. 

But the Nick Young-coached Enemies came out on top when former Warrior Jordan Crawford hit a Stephen Curry-like game-winner 35 feet from the basket in the middle of the court. 

Young said starting his coaching career back in the place where he won a championship six years ago meant a lot to him. 

“It felt like home,” Young said, wearing his 2018 Warriors championship ring. “It brought back memories because last time I was here, they did the ring ceremony for me. Walking through the tunnel, I picked out my same locker I had when I was here. I remember the parade because it was one of the best moments I felt in my career. The love Oakland showed was amazing and that feeling comes to mind when I come back here.”

Enemies head coach Nick Young coaches his players during a timeout against the Triplets during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The Barbosa-led Ball Hogs played Richardson and team Tri-State in the third game of the day. It was a star-studded coaching battle as well with Barry, who led the Warriors to the 1975 NBA title, on the sidelines for the Ball Hogs and Julius “Dr. J” Erving leading Tri-State. 

While Richardson didn’t have the same bounce that won him the back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk contests in 2002-2003, he still wowed the crowd with his athleticism. The 43-year-old powered down a two-handed slam that drew ooh’s & aah’s from the Oakland crowd. 

Barbosa, 41, lived up to his “Brazilian Blur” nickname. He slashed to the rim at will and finished with 15 points, including the game-winning corner 3-pointer. 

Barry was happy with the opening-day win, but said his team needs to be ready to continue to play at a high level over the next few weeks. The BIG3 tours arenas around the U.S. and its season lasts 10 weeks. 

“The team better be ready every week because the league knows we have a good basketball team,” Barry said. “We can shoot the three, we can go inside, we can play defense. Now I just have to tell Leandro to stop missing free throws.”

Ball Hogs head coach Rick Barry, left, greets Tri State head coach Julius “Dr. J” Erving before the start of Game Three of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

The league has grown in popularity since its founding seven years ago.

Last month, BIG3 sold its first-ever expansion team for $10 million that will be based in Los Angeles. On Saturday morning, the league announced it sold another team for the same price that will play out of Miami. Both teams are expected to start in 2025. 

The first two games on Saturday were nationally televised on CBS while the entirety of Saturday’s six-game slate was live-streamed on X/Twitter. The live stream reached two million viewers domestically, BIG3 representatives told the Bay Area News Group. 

Tri State’s Jason Richardson prepares to drive past Ballhogs’ Larry Sanders during Game Three of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

While the BIG3 could have had its opening weekend anywhere, Cube said it was important to him to have this one in Oakland. 

“The Bay is like going over to your cousin’s house,” Cube, who is from Compton, said in an interview this week with FOX40 Sacramento. “I’ve been getting support from the Bay in music, movies, television and now sports since I first started. … Everybody ran from Oakland and that’s sad. We want to run to Oakland and bring some love, and show that we appreciate the city and the sports fans in the Bay. We want to celebrate the Bay”

Triplets head coach Lisa Leslie watches from the bench while playing the Enemies during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)Rapper Ice Cube addresses the crowd before Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Ice Cub is the co-founder of the 3-on-3 pro basketball league. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)A ball boy uses a Swiffer Wetjet mop the floor during the Triplets vs. Enemies game during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)Basketball fans watch the Triplets play the Enemies during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)The Triplets play the Enemies during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)Enemies head coach Nick Young speaks to the media after defeating the Triplets during Game One of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)Tri State head coach Julius “Dr. J.” Erving coaches his players during Game Three of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)Tri State head coach Julius “Dr. J.” Erving hi-fives fans as he enters the court before Game Three of the BIG3 Tournament at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Ramos shines for SF Giants, but ‘terrible’ situational hitting leads to latest loss

SAN FRANCISCO – Heliot Ramos did it all for the San Francisco Giants on offense on Saturday afternoon.

Which wasn’t a good thing for San Francisco.

Ramos had two doubles and a two-run homer and finished with three RBI, but the Giants could not get anything else going offensively in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels before a sun-splashed crowd of 36,235 at Oracle Park.

The Giants committed a costly error in the seventh inning, saw their bullpen allow three more stolen bases, and went a dismal 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. San Francisco also left a combined 10 runners on base as its record fell to 2-3 on this six-game homestand that ends Sunday.

“It was just subtle little things that beat us today,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Situational at-bats were terrible. We could have added at least three.

“It felt like these are the type of games we win, especially at home. So it was a pretty frustrating game.”

Ramos hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and added an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-1 Giants lead. As of late Saturday afternoon, Ramos’ six homers were tied for the second-most in MLB, and his 17 RBI this month trailed only the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (18).

“It’s not a week thing or a two-week thing. He’s been doing this for quite a while,” Melvin said of Ramos. “Against good pitching, early in the game, homers, big hits, everything.

“Not only that, but he’s playing great defense. It’s fantastic baseball. You need some help, too. He knocked in all three runs today and we left some more out there. Frustrating.”

After Ramos’ RBI double, the Giants failed to add on, leaving the bases loaded after Jorge Soler and Thairo Estrada were both retired by Angels starter Patrick Sandoval.

“I don’t see it that it was a defining moment,” Estrada said of his at-bat in the fifth through interpreter Erwin Higueros, as he flew out to left field on an 84 mph changeup. “I hit the ball. Unfortunately, once the ball makes contact with the bat, I have no control where the ball is going and what the ball does.

“The whole point here is that we need to compete, and we’re competing, and that’s what we’re going to do (Sunday).”

In the sixth, after he walked Angels designated hitter Taylor Ward, Giants starter Keaton Winn was bothered by a small blister. That prompted a visit from Bob Melvin, Dave Groeschner, and Bryan Price, but Winn remained in the game after a brief discussion.

Winn got Kevin Pillar to fly out, but with Ryan Walker warming up in the bullpen, threw a middle-middle fastball to Logan O’Hoppe, who crushed it 467 feet to left-center, tying the game 3-3.

O’Hoppe’s blast was tied for the fourth-longest homer at Oracle Park in the Statcast era, which began in 2015. Other homers of such distance have come from Gary Sanchez (467 feet in 2019), Kennys Vargas (471 feet in 2017), Jorge Alfaro (473 feet in 2019), and Ian Desmond (477 feet in 2015).

Both Winn and Melvin said the blister did not affect the pitch. But the O’Hoppe bomb was Winn’s biggest mistake in an otherwise solid six-inning performance in which he threw 91 pitches and struck out six.

Melvin wanted to see Winn eat up innings on Saturday for at least a couple of reasons.

First, the Giants bullpen needed to throw 6 2/3 innings Friday in an 8-6 loss to the Angels.  Starter Spencer Howard was lit up for seven hits and four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before he was lifted for Randy Rodríguez, who didn’t fare much better as the Giants trailed 8-0 after 3 1/3 innings.

But going deeper into Saturday’s game was also a confidence boost for Winn, considering how badly he struggled in his last start on June 9 in Arlington.

In his first start in close to a month, after he was on the injured list with a right forearm strain, Winn struck out seven but allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. It was the fourth straight start in which he could not complete five innings, as he entered Saturday with a 3-7 record and a 6.94 ERA.

Winn’s other big mistake Saturday was leaving a fastball over the middle of the plate to Mickey Moniak, who hammered it 423 feet well over the center field wall, cutting San Francisco’s lead to 2-1 in the second inning.

Winn retired 10 of 13 batters after the Moniak homer. Of his six strikeouts Saturday, five were finished off by the split-finger fastball. For the season now, 24 of Winn’s 46 pitches have come off the splitter.

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“That felt great,” Winn said of the splitter. “The whole start felt great aside from maybe one pitch that ended up being a two-run homer.”

Walker came in for Winn in the top of the seventh. He then walked Nolan Schanuel, saw Curt Casali commit an error that allowed Schanuel to get from first to third after a stolen base, and was followed by Luis Rengifo’s RBI bloop single to left center.

The Giants have allowed 73 stolen bases this season and have stolen just 27 themselves.

“All of those things add up,” Melvin said.

SF Giants update: Next step for Snell still TBD after bullpen session

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said left-hander Blake Snell looked good during his bullpen session Saturday morning but added that the club would wait to see how the two-time Cy Young Award winner responded before determining the next step.

“We’ll see how he feels afterward and what’s next for him,” Melvin said before the Giants played the Los Angeles Angels at Oracle Park, “but he seems to be progressing, throwing all of his pitches, kind of an up and down type thing today with a simulated inning after he got loose.

“We’ll talk about later what’s next for him.”

Melvin said that if Snell feels good, the next step could be another bullpen session or facing some hitters. A rehab start before he rejoins the Giants’ rotation is also an option.

“He’ll need to do something, whether it’s facing hitters or a simulated situation or one game, he’ll need to do something where he’s facing hitters in a game-like situation,” Melvin said.

Snell was injured in the Giants’ June 2 game at home against the New York Yankees and was placed on the 15-day IL the next day with a left groin strain.

Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants as a free agent on March 27. So far this season, though, he is 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA in six starts for San Francisco.

MELVIN ON HARRISON: Left-hander Kyle Harrison is slated to start Sunday’s series finale against the Angels and will be looking for his first win since May 18. In his last four starts, Harrison is 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA, although in that time, he has just three walks to go with 19 strikeouts.

In 14 starts this season, Harrison, in his second big league season, has thrown a combined 77 1/3 innings, second on the Giants pitching staff behind Logan Webb (92 1/3 innings).

Asked about Harrison’s maturity, Melvin said, “He’s pretty steadfast in what he wants to accomplish. Now you’re going to go through some highs and lows and some games are going to be efficient, some of them are not, but he’s trying to go out there every day and get deep in the game.

“That’s been kind of his mindset from the very beginning.”

Harrison threw just 77 pitches in 6 1/3 innings in his last start on Monday against the Astros, allowing just four hits and one earned run in a 4-3 Giants win.

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“Once you get him X amount of starts into a season, you have to do some things differently,” Melvin said. “You’ve got to make some adjustments on the mound. Certain things are going to work on a particular day and not on another, and from start to start, working on what you think the deficiencies are, and I think he’s been great about that.

“It really kind of all came together last start for him where his command was pretty good with all three of his pitches.”

TRANSACTION: The Giants acquired catcher Logan Porter from the Kansas City Royals for cash on Friday. Porter was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento.

With oak moths the question is whether to spray or not to spray

The California oak moth is a creature of extremes. Most of the time these small white insects fly completely under the radar. But every once in a while, they go on a breeding frenzy that is impossible to ignore.

Swarms of moths lay their eggs in oak trees and the newly hatched caterpillars, known as oak worms, strip oak trees of leaves and litter sidewalks and driveways with their waste.

The bare trees and the caterpillar waste-covered sidewalks can be an eyesore and a nuisance for those experiencing an oak moth breeding frenzy. But not everyone is convinced that getting rid of them is the right solution.

As the name suggests, California oak moths are a native species, and their offspring like to feed on native coast live oak trees, or any other oak tree that happens to be in their path. Despite being discovered more than a century ago, much about these insect’s behavior and life history is still a mystery, says California State Monterey Bay environmental scientist Fred Watson. For instance, scientists know that the moths go through two reproductive cycles in a year – one in the spring and one in the fall – and that once every couple of years they go through a population boom, which is when their effect on the oak trees is the most apparent. However, they don’t know how and why these booms occur.

“For something that has such a profound effect on the ecosystem, it’s weird that we don’t have some of the most basic questions answered,” Watson said.

Because so little is understood about this species, no one knows when and where they will strike next. Although the booms are supposed to happen every 3-5 years, some think they might have become more frequent in recent years.

Wayne Belville, the pest department manager at local pest control service Casner Exterminating, said his team treated hundreds of trees last year, and that they are treating hundreds again this year, with outbreaks currently occurring in Pebble Beach and Carmel.

Peter Oboyski, an entomologist at the Essig Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Berkeley, recently made an announcement stating he moth’s numbers are likely to be high in Berkeley again this year, despite also having been hit with the moths two years in a row in 2019 and 2020.

“The reasons for outbreaks, the where, the when, seem to be random,” he said. “Nobody’s really able to get a handle on why.”

The damage these oak worms cause is undeniable. “It only takes one season to completely defoliate the tree,” said Belville. At UC Berkeley, where Oboyski works, the caterpillar’s unsightly strike occurred just before dignitaries were supposed to arrive on campus. “It’s usually a little too much for people to take,” Oboyski said.

Although the damage can look devastating, Watson says that it’s not usually as bad as it might seem. Although the caterpillars devour the oak’s leaves, they leave behind any leaf buds, which allows the oak trees to completely regrow their leaves. And since the outbreaks usually only happen once every few years, trees should have the time to recover.

“There’s probably some kind of balance to keep both the moths and the oak trees healthy,” Watson said.

Moreover, although losing their leaves can be tough for the trees, Oboyski said that the oak moths can actually provide benefits to the tree in the form of soil fertilization. The bodies and feces of the caterpillars are full of nitrogen, an important nutrient that isn’t always readily available. “I’m sure if the oak trees could speak for themselves, they’d say ‘I’d rather keep my leaves, thank you,’” Oboyski said. “But at least the caterpillars are replenishing the soil.”

Both Oboyski and Watson argue that since oak moths are a native species, which we still have much to learn about, the best thing one can do when experiencing an oak moth outbreak is to let them be. Since oaks can regrow their leaves after an infestation, the worm’s effects are only temporary, they argue. Moreover, Oboyski says that treating a tree for oak worms could have unintended consequences, potentially harming other wildlife occupying the tree. “Spraying these trees would be killing all those other native things that the lizards and the birds and everyone else depend on.”

However, Belville argues that it’s not that simple. Even though oak trees can regrow their leaves after an oak moth infestation, he says that the process is a very strenuous one. If the moths come back again the next year, which he says they have been doing, the stress on the tree’s defenses can make it vulnerable to infestations from other pests, which could lead to its death. These deaths are not only damaging for property values, they can also be difficult emotionally.

“I’ve seen people devastated when their oak tree dies,” Belville said. Some people have had these trees on their property for decades, sometimes centuries, he said, and have many memories associated with them. “It’s just heartbreaking.”

Property owners who want to prevent oakworm infestations should make sure to treat their trees as soon as possible, Belville says, ideally as soon as they see the little white moths flying around their trees. Injections to the tree during the egg-laying process, or when the caterpillars are still quite small, prevent most of the damage to the tree’s leaves. But whether or not people choose to get rid of their oak moths depends in the end on what their priorities are, says Watson.

“It’s all a matter of perspective,” he said. “If you don’t like squishy caterpillars on your sidewalk, then you could think of them as pests. But if you value natural processes with native organisms, this is that, and we celebrate that.”

Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate: Protecting inherited assets from divorce

Question: I have three children and all are married. I have been fortunate to invest wisely and after many years have a pretty good nest egg. My first wife and I had an A/B Trust; she passed away some years ago and I created an Exempt Trust per our trust. I remarried a few years ago and signed a prenup agreement with my new wife. My children are the sole beneficiaries of my assets. When I pass, they will inherit various assets of mine along with the Exempt Trust.

I hope that my children’s marriages will last a long time but there are no guarantees. Would I be wise to set up my estate so that upon my death a Trust is set up for each child and their individual share of the estate would go into their Trust? My other option would be to leave a letter to each one “suggesting” that they set up a new account with their inheritance and don’t co-mingle the inheritance with their own marital assets. However, that might make it very awkward in dealing with their own spouses and create issues. What are the pro’s and con’s from your years of experience in dealing with these kind of situations? Do you have other suggestions?

Answer: This is a bit tricky and it seems that no matter how you slice it, it could cause some marital strife. California is a community property state but inherited assets, such as the ones you are describing, are considered the separate property of the inheritor right up until the time they are comingled with marital assets. If your children were to receive their inheritance outright and place the funds into accounts titled solely in their names, the assets would continue to be separate property. They could layer on a postnuptial agreement and that would certainly lock in the separate nature of the funds.

But let’s look at this practically: Say your son received a large amount from your estate and placed it in a separately titled account and did get his spouse to sign a post nuptial relative to the funds. I would submit that most spouses would view both actions as a lack of commitment to the marriage and could be the seed for resentment. Also, I have witnessed, firsthand, that prenuptial and postnuptial agreements rarely hold up in a long-term marriage. The spouse of an inheritor, over time, pulls more and more out of separate property holdings and over to their side of the ledger. It just happens and the inheritor is under a great deal of pressure to release funds. It can set up an ongoing flashpoint in the marriage.

Further, younger spouses and those in a first marriage generally build their “estates” together over their marriage and both fully commit to saving, earning and investing together. It is a healthy way to fully invest in a marriage, right? But realistically we know that many times marriages don’t work out and, when a divorce occurs, marital assets that are commingled are usually split between the ex-spouses regardless of the origin of the assets.

The best way to set up your children’s inheritances and avoid creating friction in the marriage is to leave the assets to your children in a separate trust. Attorneys may refer to these trusts as “divorce protection trusts.” Your trust would direct your trustee to set up separate trusts in each of your children’s names and their shares of your estate would flow into those trusts. The trusts can allow your kids to withdraw assets freely and could even name each child as their own trustee. This places a bit more of a wall between your child’s assets and those of the marriage. If you wanted to be extremely careful, you could name a third party as trustee of these separate property trusts and give that trustee the discretion to release funds under certain conditions such as for the child’s health, support and education. In this scenario, if the spouse wants funds, your child has to ask the trustee and the “bad guy” trustee can say no. Yes, setting trusts up for your child with a third-party trustee will mean annual trustee fees so you will want to weigh out the costs, but it would give you the most protection against divorce or the commingling of inherited assets.

Liza Horvath has more than 30 years of experience in the estate planning and trust fields and is the president of Monterey Trust Management, a financial and trust management company. This is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Questions? Email liza@montereytrust.com or call (831)646-5262